Rein-holder



(No Model.)

E. RANKIN, Jr.

REIN HOLDER.

Patented July 19, 1892.

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UNITED STATES EDMUND RANKIN, .I R.,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF LINCOLN, ILLINOIS.

REIN-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 479,096, dated July 19, 1892.

Application led September 23, 1891. Serial No. 406,590. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, EDMUND RANKIN, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Lincoln, in the county of Logan and State ot' Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rein-Holders, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a new and improved rein-holding device, whichis designed particularly to be secured to the back-band l near the crupper-straps or to the crupper itself of a harness; and it has for its obj ect to provide a device of simple construction where. by the reins will be held in position over the horses back, thereby effectually preventing him getting them under his tail and also preventing the reins slipping down over the horses side and becoming entangled with the harness or trampled on, as-will fully hereinafter appear.

The invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of the holder, which will be more fully hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claimsI appended.

The operation and advantages of my device will be fully understood and appreciated from the following, when taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a view of aportion of a harness with my device attached. Fig. 2 isaperspective View of my improvedv rein-holder detached. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of a holder designed to be secured to the crupper. Fig. 4. is a view of a modification.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

In the construction kshown in Fig. l, which is the preferred construction, a designates the base of the holder, said base being thicker in the middle than at its ends, and being provided on` its under side midway its ends with the recess or notch b for the reception of the back-band, which is secured in this recess when the holder is in position on the harness. Projecting rearwardly from the upper edge the plate a, above and in line with the recess b, is the flat extension c, which rests on the 5o back-band and forms a long bearing-surface for the holder. A strong flat spring d detachably secures the holder in position and is permanently secured to the under side of the plate a at one end thereof and extends across the recess l) to nearly the other end of the plate, this latter end being free. This spring securely clamps the back-band in the recess b when the holder is placed on the harness.

Secured to or formed on the upper surface of the plate a are two approximately circularshaped rein-holding loops ff. These loops consist of outer sections g g and inner sections h h. The outer sections curve over and downwardly toward the center of the baseplate, forming the greater portion of the circles and terminating slightly above and beyond the upper inwardly-curved ends of the inner sections. These inner sections are practically continuations of the lower ends of the outer sections, these inner sections being conthe outer sections beyond the upper ends of the inner sections is to prevent the reins being accidentally thrown out of the retainingloops. y

The holder may be riveted to the harnessstraps, if desired, but I prefer to detachably secure it thereto by the spring in the manner described.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a holder designed to be secured to the crupper-straps. This holder is curved on its under side to correspond to the curvature of the horses back,and is provided on said curved side with two recesses b Z9', one on each side of the center. The crupper-straps are secured in these recesses by the flat leaf-spring d', which is secured to the center of the base-plate a of the holder, and has its two ends free.

In Fig. et I have shown a modified form of my device which is designed for use on double harness, In this construction the inner sections are dispensed with and only one loop is formed, which may be considerably smaller than those described in the foregoing.

'IOO

From the foregoing the operation of my device will be readily understood. When it is desired to attach the holder to the harness, the free end of spring d is sprung away from the plate a, and the bacleband or crupperstraps, as the case may be, are placed in the recesses b. The spring, when allowed to eX- ert its pressure on the straps, securely holds the device inits position. The reins may now be placed in the retainingdoops and are inserted through the opening between the upper ends of the inner sections and the lower ends of the outer sections.

It is manifest that while the reins may be very readily inserted in the retaining-loops, they will not be easily thrown out of them either by careless handling of the driver or by the horse throwing his head.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A rein-holding device consisting of a baseplatc having formed in its under side a recess or recesses for the reception of the harness-straps, a Ilat spring secured to the under side of the base-plate and having a free end or ends for detachably securing the holder to the harness-straps, and rein-retaining loops secured to or formed integral with the base-plate, substantially as described.

2. A rein-holding device consisting of a plate provided with arecess onits under side, and a rearwardly-extending bearing-plate, retaining-loops constructed as described and secured on said plate, in combination with a leaf-spring secured to the under side of the base-plate and having a free end or ends, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof Iaflx my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

EDMUND RANKIN, Jn. Witnesses:

E. LYNCH, A. IIIMMEL. 

